The Art of Living in Australia, by Philip E. Muskett

Table of Contents

Their semi-tropical climate hitherto unrecognised by the people of Australia — Reasons advanced for this statement;
early gold-mining era influences still at work, and Anglo–Saxon heredities — Hot months and cooler months; temperatures
of the Australian capital cities — Fluctuations of temperature and barometric pressure not extreme — Equability of
Australian climate a marked feature — Not many successive days of great heat — Humidity of atmosphere in different
colonies — A dry heat always preferable to a moist heat — Duration of the different seasons, and months apportioned to
each season — Prevailing winds, and ROLE of hot winds

The Alphabetical Pentagon a convenient form of remembering that the FIVE essentials of health — namely, Ablution:
the Skin and the Bath; Bedroom Ventilation; Clothing; Diet; and Exercise — occur in alphabetical order

Important and numerous functions of the skin — The skin itself and its different parts — The use of the scarf skin —
The structure of the true skin — The perspiration tubes — The tubes of the oil-glands — Great value of the cold bath —
Importance of the rubbing down after the cold bath — The cold bath as a preventive of disease — The cold bath in the
maintenance of health — The warm cleansing bath — The beneficial effect of adding salt at the end of a warm bath —
Other interesting hints

Loss of hair in Australia — Structure of the hair, and its blood supply — The hair is not a tube — Management of the
hair — Singeing the hair — Washing the hair — Description of brushes and combs recommended — Hard rim of the hat a
factor in thinning the hair — Excellent applications for promoting the growth of the hair

Formation of the nail — Different parts of the nail — Growth of the nail — The care of the nails

Disorders arising from loss of teeth — The preservation of the teeth — An admirable recipe for a tooth-powder —
Management of the teeth — Use of floss silk

The bedroom the most important room in the house — necessity for proper ventilation — Extra allowance of sleep in
hot climates — Crowding of articles in bedrooms condemned — Results of breathing vitiated air — Injuriously affects the
heart as well as the lungs — The proper dimensions of a bedroom — Regulation of the ventilation — Mosquito nettings for
summer months — Fresh air equally required in the cooler months

No clothing actually creates warmth of itself — The varying powers of clothing to detain air in its meshes — Two or
three layers of clothing always warmer than a single garment equal to their combined thickness — The transmission of
the body-heat to the clothes — The different fabrics are either good or bad conductors of heat — Permeability of
clothing to air — The vegetable kingdom; the properties of cotton and of linen — The animal products; the properties of
silk and of wool — Wool one of the best materials to wear next the skin — Recommendations for wearing woollen
under-garments — The way to prevent them from shrinking — The modern pyjamas immensely superior to the old-fashioned
bed-gown — The clothing would be modified according to the season of the year.

Importance of breakfast, fruit, tea, coffee, iced drinks, tobacco. Breakfast usually scampered through — Monotony of
the ordinary breakfast — A plea for something better — Butter during Australian summer months — The ice-chest an
absolute necessity — Breakfast should be a substantial meal

Fruit fortunately abundant in Australia — The agreeable qualities of fruits reside in three factors — Fruit must
neither be over-ripe nor under-ripe — The anti-scorbutic properties of fruit — Changes in the blood in scurvy — Mild
forms of scurvy not uncommon — Symptoms of an excess of uric acid in the stem — A word for olives

Abuse of tea by the gentler sex — Protest against lunch of tea and broad and butter — An admirable opportunity for
philanthropic efforts — Tea to be enjoyed, and not misused — The making of tea — The anti-tannic teapot

The three active principles of coffee — Coffee stimulates the brain — Coffee relieves fatigue and exhaustion,
whether mental or manual — The virtues of coffee — Coffee as a remedy in different diseases — The details of coffee
roasting — The art of making coffee — The cafetiere, or French coffee-pot — Proportions of coffee and of chicory in
“cafe noir” and “cafe au lait” respectively — Minute instructions for making coffee

Universal use of ice in America — Ice indispensable in hot climates — Expert opinions upon the value of ice in India
— Medical authorities practically unanimous in favour of ice when used with discretion — Purity of the ice must be
ensured

Proportion of smokers to non-smokers — Five out of every six men smoke — Amount of tobacco used in Australia and in
other countries — The effect of tobacco on the system provisionally divided into three classes — The principles
contained in tobacco — Different results of combustion from a cigar and from a pipe — Effect of tobacco when it is
unsuitable — Symptoms following excessive smoking — The smokers heart — Men of middle age often compelled to give up
tobacco — Effect of tobacco upon the palate — Power to appreciate good wine lost after the first whiff of cigarette,
cigar, or pipe

Effect of exercise upon the muscles — Exercise removes debris from the system — Bodily health the great desideratum
of the present day — Will power increased by exercise — Exercise improves the quality of the blood — Exercise
strengthens the heart and lungs, and benefits the nervous system — Every one must perform his own exercise; no carrying
it out by proxy — Walking six miles a day the orthodox amount of exercise — Early morning exercise not beneficial to
everybody — It is only by exercise, and by exercise alone, that the different organs are brought to the perfection of
health

Enormous consumption of meat and of tea in Australia — A contest between a semi-tropical climate and Anglo–Saxon
heredities — Progressive changes in the theories of education — The purpose of education — School cookery instruction
in England and in Australia — Cookery in its relation to health — Cookery as a preventive of drunkenness — Cookery in
the formation of character — A national plea on behalf of Australian school cookery

Food usually in harmony with climate, except in Australia — Isothermal lines of Australian cities, Southern Europe,
and southern portion of United States — Australian food habits diametrically opposed to climate — Lamentable state of
Australian cookery — Restricted choice of vegetables in Australia — Many other desirable vegetables never seen here,
but in great request elsewhere — No possible excuse, as they would all do well — Extraordinary trouble in popularising
the tomato in Australia — A protest against “boiling,” and nothing but “boiling,” in the cookery of vegetables —
Cookery must be taught in Australian schools — No national Australian dish, a reproach to Australia

No deep-sea fisheries in Australia, although her people come from a maritime stock — The defectiveness of our
Australian fish supply — Our primitive methods of fish capture — The beam-trawl in deep-sea fishing — Drift-net and
other deep-sea fishing — Benefits from the development of our deep-sea fisheries — Fish markets — The “middleman”
controversy — The distribution of fish to the public — Fishmongers and the sale of fish — The development of the oyster
— The failure in the New South Wales and Victorian oyster supplies — The recreation of our oyster fisheries — The food
value of the oyster — The food value of fish

Salads plainly intended for Australian use — Many people miss the present in looking for the future — Cookery of the
highest excellence amongst all classes in France — A contrast between the English and the French methods of making a
salad — Detailed instructions for the preparation of a French salad — Importance of a roomy and properly shaped salad
bowl — Poor display of greengrocery in Australia as compared with the show of meat — Salad plants in great request
elsewhere which might readily be cultivated in Australia — Salad herbs indispensable to a proper salad, but entirely
unknown in Australia — A complete recipe for the famous Mayonnaise sauce — An excellent recipe for a herring salad

“With time and care Australia ought to be the vineyard of the world” — Interesting facts in the early history of the
vine in Australia — Figures showing the possibilities of Australian viticulture — The climate — The soil — “Cepage,” or
variety — The preparation of the soil — Laying-out the vineyard — Whether to plant cuttings or rooted vines — The
height of the vine above the ground — On pruning — The cellar — The gathering of she grape — Varying additions to the
must — The must itself — Fermentation — THE TASTING AND JUDGING OF WINES— uniformity required in Australian wines — The
future success of the Australian wine industry, and upon what it depends